Space Monkeys
by Grummlie
Summary: The ark is destined to come down within a matter of months but the chance of seeing that day is less likely than death. The survival tale of a group of exiles just taking life one moment at a time. (Takes place after 1x07)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First fanfic ever on my end, so apologies for the crappy quality. **

**After contents under pressure – will probably stray from the show. If you like it, let me know, otherwise this will probably be a oneshot.**

* * *

_"Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things."_

Those words had bounced off the walls that encased Clarke's thoughts the entire evening. The storm that had just hit was classified as a hurricane according to the ark, but they were safe, they had survived. The first space monkeys to return to earth and survive a hurricane, a moment that was all too bittersweet. The other 91 criminals worked furiously to put the camp back together before the moon rose, while Clarke let her mind wander amongst the blood stained room that she had been forced to call a med-bay.

Between the loss of a relationship and the thick smell of moonshine that had filled the tiny quarters her stomach couldn't help but do a summersault or two. She had accepted the fact that Raven needed Finn more than she, she had accepted the fact that her mother was responsible for the death of her father, hell, she had even accepted the fact that she was stuck playing pretend on a planet that would destroy her the second she gave in but what she could never accept was the fact that she was all alone.

Since the day the drop ship had landed on Earth it seemed everyone had a partner in crime. Clarke had Wells and Finn for a while, one of whom she couldn't fathom talking to because he had led her to believe that he had been responsible for the death of her father. The other had accidentally forgotten to mention the memory of a girlfriend that he had been clinging to, one that became all too real in a matter of days. Within ten days, Clarke had lost her best friend, her mother, and her attractive love interest to the cruel world that she had been forced to call home.

* * *

"We need medical supplies." Clarke yammered the words off to an unamused Bellamy while he supervised the re-positioning of the tents.

After the incident with Finn and the Grounder, Clarke was led to believe that a wall inside of Bellamy had tumbled. For the first time in days, they were able to understand one another. They were able to agree on a decision that compromised both of their moral views, and when it was all said and done, he was there for her with a few words of reassurance.

"Hello! Earth to Bellamy." Clarke took a step in front of the rebel leader, to block his gaze but her actions had gone unnoticed. Like the sly fox he pretended to be, Bellamy simply took a step to the right and continued staring ahead. "What are you-"

"I don't trust her." Without even blinking, Bellamy interrupted Clarke. It was as if she had been nothing more than the whistling of the wind on a cool night.

"Who? What? No. Actually, I don't care who you don't trust, we need supplies. Before someone else gets injured." Clarke took another step in front of Bellamy, crossing her arms to mimic his own body language.

The daily drama of Bellamy and his regime of girls had hardly ever crossed the mind of Princess Clarke. Why girls threw themselves at him, she would never know. Self-proclaimed leader of a band of criminally exiled teenagers hardly seemed to be a title to swoon over.

"I told Miller I didn't want her up there with the grounder but she has been in that drop ship for half of the day. She thinks I don't see it. Hmph. The grounder needs to go." Bellamy dropped his arms to his sides and took a step around Clarke, ignoring her once more.

"We need-" Clarke had raised her voice and placed a hand upon Bellamy's arm which proved to be successful in gaining his attention.

"Supplies? So I've heard but the grounder goes first. If you haven't noticed we're trying to put camp back together, we don't have time to go scavenging for medical supplies." He grabbed her by the wrist, squeezing lightly until her grip on his arm softened enough for him to step away.

"Are you kidding me? Within the past hour, three people have come staggering to me complaining about cuts and scrapes. We don't have a few days."

"Well then you better find a way to get us a few days."

A conversation with Bellamy felt similar to a conversation with the stars at night. The glimmer of compassion that had been exposed right after the storm, faded as quickly as it came. Clarke was exasperated. She was not a doctor but she became one because that is what she needed to be in order to survive; a doctor with a dwindling stock of things acceptable to be used for medicinal purposes.

"Fine. The next person who comes bleeding through the camp can get medical help from you." She pursed her lips and stormed off, not even bothering to check and see if Bellamy had been paying attention to her.

If Finn hadn't been cut by the grounder and suffocated with love from Raven, Clarke would have taken him away on an expedition for the supplies that she so desperately needed. Jasper, who had seen enough adventure for his lifetime, was in no state to go on a defiant mission for the well-being of the camp and Monty was needed for the communication with the ark. The only other person, Clarke would even think to ask to defy the rebel leader was Octavia. After all defiance was practically her middle name.

* * *

"Octavia, I need to talk to you." Clarke rested a gentle hand upon Octavia's shoulder.

The last time they had spoken was when Clarke had pulled out the bolt from the grounder's hand. Octavia had blamed her for the events that had taken place, as if she wouldn't have done the same for Jasper.

"If it's about the grounder you were torturing up there, I don't want to hear it." Octavia jerked her shoulder away from Clarke's touch.

Even within the safety of the drop ship, it seemed a storm was brewing. No amount of words was going to calm the girl who had once lived under the floor but that wasn't what Clarke had come for.

"It's about our medicinal stock. If we want to make it through a few more days until the ark can get to us, we're going to need to go scavenge around. After Jasper got injured, we found an old map in an automobile. According to the map there used to be a base not too far from here. I think it might have supplies." Clarke spoke in a hushed tone. The last thing she needed was to alarm the loyal servants of Bellamy.

"You just tortured the man who saved me and now you want me to go run through the forest with you?" Octavia turned on her heels so that she was finally face to face with Clarke. Just because she had lived under the floor for most of her life, didn't mean she was incapable of emotion.

"Neither of you will be in the forest. Octavia, I believe Jasper is looking for you. Clarke, a word." The deep voice, hovered over the two girls, belonging to the tyrant himself.

Octavia groaned, but without any defiance scurried out of the drop ship, leaving Bellamy and Clarke alone. Clarke was not in the mood for an argument. Everyone had been so busy trying to put their love lives together along with the basics of camp that they had forgotten the little things that had been keeping them alive.

"I wasn't asking for your permission." Clarke attempted to leave the drop ship, but this time Bellamy was the one preventing the conversation from ending.

"I'm not about to go on another rescue mission to save your ass. We've been rebuilding our home here if you haven't noticed. We're all tired and hungry. A group has gone out to hunt and tomorrow we'll send one out to this _base _or whatever to check it out. Got it?" He narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing her soul. The tension between them was thicker than the distance.

"Another day wasted is another opportunity for more to get injured. I'm leaving before the grounders get the chance to attack us."

"By yourself? You'll be lucky if you make it back without a spear through your chest."

"Then you better find yourselves a new doctor."

Clarke pushed past Bellamy and headed toward the exit of the drop ship. The idea of going out of the boundaries of camp alone sent a shiver of fear down her spine, a feeling she would never admit to. Deep down, her gut told her to turn around and wait a day but she had already spoken the words.

"If I get injured, I don't want some mediocre fool stitching me up. I'm coming with you. Besides, every princess could use a guard." The deep voice that consistently barked out orders throughout the day infused itself with flirtation directed toward Clarke.

While she had hardly found his comments amusing, the company would be greatly appreciated, not that she would admit it to him. Yet, in a weird turn of events, it seemed that they were going on an adventure together.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Slowwww burn. I really want to jump into the good stuff but I got to do this properly. **

**At least I finally got some solid interaction happening. **

* * *

"Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure this is the fourth time that we've passed that fallen log."

"I didn't ask you to come with me and I'm not asking you to stay." Clarke wasted no energy turning around to face Bellamy who insisted on acting like her body guard.

He trailed behind her carefully, piping his opinion into the silence of the forest whenever he felt his presence was being forgotten. The two had been trekking through the trees for a decent amount of time, stopping only once when a certain princess tripped over an overgrown root.

"The sun is beginning to set. If we want to make it back before sundown we need to get to this base soon." Bellamy had still doubted the idea that such a supply jackpot even existed but Clarke's persistence was enough for the both of them.

The silence settled within the space between them once more as Clarke decided to ignore Bellamy's comment. He was looking out for the both of them, she knew that but she also knew that the future of her doctor gig depended on those supplies. Teenage criminals were clumsy and idiotic. The first two who had died on the wretched planet were casualties of teenage stupidity, if that wasn't a clear prophetic sign of the future then one simply did not exist.

"There. That has to be it." Clarke stopped in her tracks, her eyes stealing a quick glance at Bellamy who had suddenly taken to her side. A feeling of relief washed over her along with the realization that she would not have to face the judgmental eyes of Bellamy Blake as she admitted she was wrong. "Let's go!"

"Wait." Instinctively, Bellamy flung an arm out to stop Clarke from moving forward. The threat of grounders was a consistent danger that they needed to be aware of and the wide open rubble of a building caught in the crossfire of radioactive warfare seemed like the perfect place to set up a trap. "Let me go first."

The two adventurers exchanged a look of understanding and fear before Bellamy took the first few steps out into the clearing.

Clarke couldn't help but keep her eyes on the back of Bellamy, not that she was doing it intentionally. His body had shielded her view from whatever had been ahead of them, an act that would have normally agitated her instead brought comfort. As a leader who spewed orders, Bellamy had always appeared as a mangy, lust-filled, power hungry man child to Clarke. He found a way to irritate her more than the four barren walls that she had been confined to on the ark. The way he had smirked when he thought he was being charming always had a tendency to bring about this uncomfortable urge to scream, not that she ever did. He had pranced around camp like a one-sided strong man, only revealing to Clarke that he actually felt emotion when she mercifully murdered his best friend. From that point, things had seemingly fallen back into their irritating place until the situation with the grounder happened. After they had both compromised their own moral sanity to save Finn and an understanding was met Clarke was finally able to look at Bellamy as the man that he truly was.

She stepped where he stepped, only glancing up to be met with the wild untamed locks and the delicate beads of sweat that cautiously dripped down his neck. She really hated admitting it, even to herself, but Clarke was thankful to have Bellamy accompanying her.

"If there was a base here, nothing remains." For the first time since the duo had descended into the clearing Bellamy had spoken. Words that should have been accompanied by that god awful nickname given to her by Finn, held no trace of satisfaction. Bellamy genuinely appeared apologetic.

"N-No. No. There has to be something." Clarke pushed Bellamy aside.

Her eyes took in her surroundings, her heart sinking as she did so. Rubble covered in dirt and moss, that was all that had remained. No resemblance of a building or an underground bunker had been in sight. Hours of walking with a man she was barely starting to understand with nothing to show for it.

"It's getting dark, we need to get back to camp before the grounders show up." Bellamy placed a hand on Clarke's shoulder but the short moment of physical comfort was not followed by any response.

With every passing moment of defeated reflection the sky grew darker; the threat of danger growing more imminent. Clarke bent down and picked up a rock. With hope in her hands and desperation in her heart, she tossed the rock as far as possible. Her eyes followed it as it flew a few meters, only stopping once it had clinked with an item in the distance.

No words needed to spoken between Bellamy and Clarke. Without any hesitation they both ran in the direction that the rock was thrown, furiously clearing away the rubble until hope was revealed.

* * *

"Find anything?"

"Besides this god awful stench? No."

Clarke exhaled sharply and continued walking through the maze of empty storage containers. The entire bunker had been moderately flooded. The damp facility appeared larger in the dark then it truly was. It had consisted of a narrow hallway that led to two rooms, one on either end. The first room they had checked out contained a few boxes of extremely expired canned goods; goods that couldn't possibly be deemed as edible. They may have kept for ten years, but after ninety seven there was no way in hell they were suitable for human consumption.

The big containers in the first part of the hallway contained water and mold for the most part but the two leaders continued trudging through the mud, carrying with them the hope that there would be a light in one of those god damned crates.

"This one is tightly sealed, there might be something good in it. Mind giving me a hand?" Clarke held her light out for Bellamy to take but instead, he handed off the one he was holding.

Clarke took a few steps back, angling the light on the mystery crate. She had found Bellamy's blatant show of strength rather silly yet slightly cute. _Cute?_ Was that a word Clarke was really willing to describe Bellamy as? No, no of course not.

"Holy shit." Bellamy's voice trailed behind the precious snapping sound of the unlocked crate.

"What? What!" Clarke tried to peek at the treasure that had just been discovered but Bellamy was one step ahead of her.

"Nothing. There's nothing in the crate, sorry princess." He tried to sound serious but the childish excitement shined through his voice.

Bellamy finally stepped away from the crate giving Clarke an opportunity to peer inside. She shown the light inside the crate, revealing the one thing she had set out to find, medical packs.

Words couldn't describe what emotion had suddenly filled Clarke's veins. Without even a second thought, she set the lights down on the box next to her and began shoveling med packs into her backpack. Bellamy left her to her greedy looting. While the med packs were an exciting find, he still wanted more and more is exactly what he had found.

Leaving no crate unchecked they had discovered blankets, lanterns, military uniforms, miscellaneous supplies such as tarp and soap, and of course the one thing that could get Bellamy Blake's blood running, guns. With no possible way of carrying everything back with them, they took what was most important, padding pockets and extra space with a little of everything.

By the time the looting was all said and done the sun had completely set. The darkness hid the path that led back to camp along with any other creatures lurking amongst the shadows.

"We'll have to stay the night. We can head back first thing in the morning." Bellamy was not suggesting the idea, he was demanding it.

As much as Clarke would have liked to protest such a blasphemous idea, she knew he was right. "The last room we checked held the least amount of mud. It'll be the best place to set up camp for the night."

* * *

As the night grew older, the room got colder. Clarke and Bellamy had made a make-shift bed out of a few plastic crates and some tarp. While it was enough to keep them dry, it was hardly any more comfortable than the earth itself.

"This wasn't about the supplies, was it?" Bellamy's voice was soft and inquisitive.

Clarke would have never imagined the first time being in bed with Bellamy as such an awkward experience. They both were lying on their backs, shoulders barely touching. She had feared he would seize the opportunity to flirt his way into her pants but there was none of that going on. Surprisingly enough, Bellamy was being rather normal, the night being less dramatic than the one she had spent in a bunker with Finn.

"What do you mean?" She knew where the conversation was going but she asked anyway, buying a few seconds to sort out an answer.

"As soon as you saved Finn's life you ran from him as if he had the plague and before he got hurt it seemed like you were doing everything in your power to avoid him." Bellamy repositioned himself so that he was on his side, his eyes piercing through Clarke in the poorly lit room. "What'd spacewalker do?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon on princess, I know you better than that."

Clarke had nothing to say, especially not to Bellamy. Her business with Finn was just that, _her_ business. She did not ask him why he pranced around pretending he was invincible or why he controlled every aspect of his sister's life. In fact, she hardly talked to him. The first _real_ conversation that they shared was about to be centered on her issues with Finn; that alone made her stomach tighten.

"Why did you shoot Jaha?" She had turned the tables. Clarke rolled over onto her side, mimicking Bellamy's body language. They appeared to be two friends at a sleepover rather than two head strong leaders being civil.

"So I could protect my sister." He propped himself up on one elbow which gave him this intimidating advantage over Clarke. "Did Spacewalker make you his earth girlfriend before Raven came down?"

"No." Thankfully. What a fool she would have been then. "Why do you care?"

"I care about everyone in the camp."

"That's it?"

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes at her, meticulously analyzing her facial expression. Even in the poor light, she glowed with an aura of optimism. Her lips trembled while the temperature continuously dropped in the room, adding another beat to the drip drop of water coming from the ceiling.

Bellamy dug around in his bag before he pulled out a single blanket. His protective side showed as he unfolded the thick piece of cloth and laid it over the two of them, ensuring Clarke was completely covered. It was an odd thing for him, at least Clarke believed so. A few days ago, the thought of this night would have brought chills to her spine. She once despised the man she was now sharing a blanket with.

"Come here, we'll stay warmer if we are closer." Bellamy hesitated to pull her closer. If she wanted to freeze in the damp bunker he would let her.

Clarke on the other hand hesitated for her own selfish reasons. Cuddling Bellamy Blake? Ugh. In her mind he was covered in this invisible layer of dirt, dirt which he had accumulated from all those girls he had slept with. The idea of cuddling such a shared man was disgusting.

"I don't bite. Unless you want me to, princess." Bellamy winked at her but Clarke continued to fight against her inner thoughts. After a moment or two she finally inched closer, keeping a bent knee in between them.

"You should get some sleep. You'll be bombarded when we get back to camp tomorrow."

"You never told me what happened between you and Finn."

He had finally called Finn by his actual name but Clarke had been too distracted to notice. While Bellamy continued to poke at the topic she was clearly trying to ignore, she couldn't help but watch the way his lips moved. As he spoke to her, the smirk lingered around the corners of his mouth but Clarke did not find it irritating. In fact, she actually found it to be rather precious. It was a quality she had never looked at in such a light before. A quality that went perfectly with the light freckles that spotted his cheeks and brought out the youthful side he had buried away from the others. As she recalled the night she had spent with Finn, she realized she had never taken the time to appreciate his unique features. For some horrible reason, she found her mind attempting to compare the two men and the result of that was not something she was ready to admit. Clarke had actually found Bellamy Blake, the most irritating man on earth, attractive.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just wanted to thank you all for the lovely reviews. I forgot to do that last chapter and wanted to kick myself. Booo. Anywho! Seeing how it is Wednesday I thought it was appropriate to update it again. Bellarke filled chapter of fluffy goodness. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks all!**

* * *

"Clarke?"

How many minutes had passed since she had last spoken? Clarke was completely unaware of the time. She had fallen into this trance, hypnotized by the very being that was Bellamy. There were a lot of little things that his body would do, even in the purest of silences. Without the pressure to put up a façade for the rest of the camp she had finally felt as if she were seeing the real Bellamy, the real rebel leader. When he had no one to scowl at, his bottom lip actually rested in a pout. When his brows weren't furrowed in discontent, the dark circles under his eyes begged for a rest. Caked in dirt and sweat, he looked younger than when she had first laid eyes upon him.

"You should get some sleep."

This strange state of contentment that she had found herself in made her completely oblivious to his words. She could hear the softness in his voice but she was not truly listening. It was the exhaustion, which of course would have been the only logical explanation.

"I'm sorry." The words were no louder than a whisper and for the first time in what had felt like an eternity her eyes finally drifted up to meet his.

"I thought royalty didn't apologize."

The moment felt all too intimate to be alluding to a nickname given to her by the one person she sought to escape. The entire situation felt odd for Clarke. She never planned on getting so physically close to Bellamy.

"I'm not royalty, just another criminal exiled from society."

"You know Clarke," Bellamy touched a warm hand to her face, brushing away a few stray strands of blonde hair that had seemingly gone unnoticed for the majority of the night. "Whether you care to admit it or not, you'll always be my princess."

Clarke was completely flustered. Within a matter of seconds her cheeks were hot and she was forcing away a giddy smile. Bellamy on the other hand had simply been admiring his work. The familiar sinful grin overcame the purity of his face and Clarke realized this was all a game to him. He was more charming than she would give him credit for, it was actually quite dangerous.

"Oh please." Clarke rolled her eyes. The fun had gone far enough. She was not playing into his game of seduction. "I'm sure all the girls you end up in bed with get called _princess._" Coming out of her mouth, the name came with a tone of anger; anger that could only be associated to Finn.

In comparison, Bellamy and Finn weren't that different. They both enjoyed playing hero. They both enjoyed using unwarranted nicknames and best of all, they both enjoyed using women. It was all making sense to Clarke, why she suddenly found Bellamy so alluring. For a split second, she saw the innocence that Finn had possessed. She saw the human connection she so desperately craved.

"No." The grin vanished from his face. His tone suddenly becoming serious. "I'm responsible for the deaths of over three hundred people. I'm responsible for the death of Wells and the corruption of a young child." Bellamy's gaze fell to the lips of Clarke but he continued on. "I tortured a man who saved my sister."

Those were the words that needed to be said. Their eyes had found one another and once more an understanding had been reached. Bellamy was not the man he tried to be, not at all. If one were to define the word criminal, the true monster between the two of them was Bellamy. That was a fact that they both understood but Clarke found herself taking credit for half of those actions he had claimed fault to. He was not the only leader in camp, he was not the only one who held responsibility.

"Bell-"

"No Clarke. Those girls I sleep with, they think I'm a hero. But you," he inched closer to her, making the distance between them even more intimate than it had already been. "You know the truth."

It was a realization they had both come across. If they were going to share power, they needed to trust one another. They needed to believe in each other. Through all the horrors of the Earth, they needed to be able to lean on one another, no matter the differences.

"That is why you are _my _princess."

Clarke didn't know what to say. Words more romantic than they had meant to be, words that would never come out of Finn's mouth. Her confusion about Bellamy had resurfaced. He was a man of many faces, a man full of emotion. The silence between them settled, leaving the beat of the water drops to create the mood. Clarke felt as if her heart was going to explode. She was nervous; she was so god damn nervous. The body heat they had been sharing seamlessly drained from her body. Her lips trembled with a nervous chill, only finding warmth from the breath of Bellamy. Was he inching closer? She could have sworn that he was inching closer. Their gaze remained locked while the distance between their lips grew shorter.

Clarke's mind scrambled for words but Bellamy's piercing gaze had overcome her logical thinking. That gloriously pouty lip was closer than she could have ever wanted it. Their noses hovered in front of each other, lingering in the pure intimacy of the moment. Clarke knew exactly what was going to happen next. Her heart fluttered and her eyes closed. She wanted to feel his lips on her own. She wanted to feel that human connection again. The sound of his steady breaths pulled closer, the radiating waves of warmth coming from his mouth hit her lips the second he exhaled. He was so close, so very close.

"I slept with Finn." The words pained her. Instantly her brows furrowed and her eyes fluttered open directly meeting the sweet gaze of Bellamy.

Clarke regretted her words but it was too late to take them back. Why did she say such a thing at such a moment? Why did she feel inclined to tell him? Her nervous lips trembled once more but Bellamy did not move back. He kept his face close to her, the intimacy oozing with confusion.

"The night before Raven landed." She could feel her heartbeat even faster. The look in his eyes was not one of judgment so why did she keep talking? "I felt used. Abandoned." Clarke inched back, widening the distance between their faces. "I needed a break and we needed supplies." So there they were.

Bellamy's expression never changed. He didn't even move, not toward her, not away from her. Clarke couldn't tell if he was disappointed that she had ruined the moment, or relieved that she had finally opened up to him. The possibilities seemed endless. Without words, there was nothing to judge his emotion and so once more the silence between them settled.

After a decent amount of time had passed, Bellamy rolled over onto his back, still silent on the whole Finn revelation. His lack of an answer could practically parallel the feeling Clarke got when she saw Raven and Finn together.

"Goodnight." She whispered the word under her breath, suddenly feeling ashamed of recent events. She placed a hand on the tarp that made up the makeshift bed, it felt cold to the touch like the air between them.

"Clarke." Bellamy turned his head to look at her but her eyes made no effort to meet his.

Without much of a thought, he reached a hand out to connect with the one she had placed on the tarp. His fingers curled around the palm of her hand, his thumb falling into a soothing caress.

"We might not see eye to eye or feel the same way about one another but I can promise you, as long as my heart still beats I won't abandon you. Guard's honor."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: _Funfact!_I had written out chp. 4 a few days ago but I ended up hating it so I re-wrote it. C:**

**Also, I finally read the book and have gathered my thoughts to figure out a game plan so I'm not just writing aimlessly. Depending on 1x09 I may continue loosely following the show, who really knows at this point. I'm not happy where this ended so I'm sure another chapter will be up soon.**

**Oh, your reviews are all so lovely. 333 The Bellarke slow build is still happening and when they do kiss I think you all will (hopefully) like it!**

* * *

When Clarke awoke, she found the familiar comfort of the human touch upon her fingertips. As her sleep speckled eyes fluttered open, they found themselves staring at the peaceful body of Bellamy Blake. Through the quiet emptiness of the bunker, his breathing became music to her ears, the lyrics to a beat caused by the dripping water which echoed through the worn bunker walls. In comparison, the sound was practically nothing to the sweet music created by earthmade objects which had only been played for the more fortunate on the ark. However, the ark and the music were no more; the illusion of happiness had long faded making the steady rise and fall of Bellamy's chest the most peaceful thing she had seen in days.

His fingers pressed into her hand before he had actually moved his body. It felt unusual to be waking up next to a man she had despised with every ounce of her being a few days ago but then again normality was not something that came very often anymore.

"It's not polite to watch people as they sleep, darling." Bellamy's voice was muffled by his jacket as he slowly rolled his head over to face Clarke.

At some point during the night, he had apparently taken off his jacket to use as a pillow and had rolled over onto his stomach. If Clarke were more awake, she would have shot him a quizzical look as to why they were still hand in hand seeing as he was clearly conscious enough at some point to make himself more comfortable. Instead, she blinked bewilderingly, passing off the accusation he had shot her way.

"I didn't mean to offend you, ma'am." Her eyes were too heavy to shine but the smile that crept into her cheeks brought out enough playfulness to get the message across.

"Hey," Bellamy opened his eyes, getting his first good look at Clarke since their conversation last night. Whatever witty retort he was about to throw at her slipped away leaving only a faint smile in its place.

"Yes?"

"Nevermind. We should uh, we should get going."

As if her touch suddenly became toxic, Bellamy quickly retracted his hand and rolled off the bed. The air between them grew silent, Clarke gingerly watching his every move. The more she looked at him the more she felt the tiny sliver of confusion spread throughout her body. A night ago, she had justified her attraction to him by identifying his similarities to Finn. They were both charming and brave, willing to sacrifice themselves for the ones that they cared about. Danger lingered on them with every step that they took but through the misleading loneliness of earth they had both appeared to be viable matches for human companionship. Of course, Finn had turned into a delusive mistake and Bellamy, well Bellamy was too concerned with Octavia to let any other woman into his life.

"Yeah. They're probably worried." Banter aside, Clarke let the smile slip away from her face and focus back on the reality of the situation.

* * *

They arrived back at camp around midday and after some grand speech from Bellamy everything had seemingly fallen back into order. The supplies they brought back with them were stored appropriately, the guns distributed to the kids who were currently on watch. Bellamy had busied himself going over the proper handling of the guns while Clarke found herself making the normal medical rounds.

She checked on Octavia first, mainly to see if the girl had forgotten the harsh memories of the torture. To Clarke's dismay, Octavia greeted her with a cold shoulder and a piercing stare that could have easily murdered a man. The next person Clarke checked up on was Jasper, not that he had really needed it. The wound from the spear had been healing quite nicely. Beside the occasional need to clean it, he never sought out Clarke for medical advice. Leaving him and Monty to continue their crazy antics was bittersweet. She would have rather been needed by Jasper than to go check up on Finn but the situation was unavoidable.

Once inside the tent that Finn had shared with Raven, Clarke took a kneeling stance next to Finn. Raven remained eerily close behind her, perched on the cot like a vulture. Her gaze was practically burning holes in the back of Clarke's head but Clarke couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the situation.

"How are the stitches?"

"Fine." Raven answered before Finn could even open his mouth, her tone more hostile than informative.

"Finn, do you mind if I take a look at them?"

"Go ahead."

Clarke pulled back the blanket and pulled up Finn's shirt, revealing a bloody bandage. For the most part, minus a bit of stretching, the stitches were fine.

"They look good but you really need to stay in bed. We found some medical supplies last night but I haven't been able to go through everything. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stitch you up again so you better take care of these."

Normally Clarke would have offered her patient a friendly smile to assure that the healing process was going smoothly but no such thing graced her face. Her hands were quick to apply a new bandage within the thick silence of the tent. The burning stare of Raven grew hotter with every passing second, only to finally be interrupted by Finn.

"Raven, do you think you could get me some water?" A swoon worthy smile danced across his mouth, persuading his girlfriend to finally leave his side.

Once Raven had left, the silence in the air grew heavier. Clarke knew where things were headed but she was not ready to speak to Finn about what had happened.

"Clarke, we need to talk."

"Your wound is fine and I've told you that you needed to stay in bed. There isn't much else to discuss."

"Clarke, I'm sorry. I should have-"

"Yes. You should have. But I also should have known not to trust someone who was willing to waste oxygen for his own selfish reasons."

The last of the medical tape had been applied to the bandage but a force had been preventing Clarke from moving. It wasn't the sheer sight of a desperate Finn pleading for a second chance. It was his hand which was firmly wrapped around her wrist.

"I spoke to the grounder before he escaped."

Clarke's eyes widened in shock but no words came out of her mouth. While she had been out camping with Bellamy, the grounder they had tortured to save Finn had escaped unseen. At least she thought. When they got back to camp and heard the news, both Bellamy and Clarke had wanted to blame Octavia for the escaped prisoner but she hadn't fessed up.

"What? Finn! You aided in his escape? Bellamy is going to kill you if the grounders don't do it first. What were you thinking?" Clarke's words came out no louder than a whisper. The sight of Finn might have caused her heart to ache but that feeling had quickly disappeared with the revelation of such news.

"No, no. I don't know how he got out but I was the last person he saw before he left the camp." Finn propped himself up on his elbows so that the distance between him and Clarke was shorter.

"It was the middle of the night and he left wearing ark clothing. I handed him my knife as a peace treaty of sorts and that was when he spoke to me."

"And?"

"He said we aren't safe. He said we're all going to die."

"You really needed a grounder to tell you that?" The shock from Clarke's face quickly faded, an unamused expression taking its place. Every day that they were on their own they faced death. The second the ark had exiled them they lost the comfort of safety. It was only a matter a time before the ark came down to recolonize the planet but until then, death was always a bigger probability than their survival.

"No, Clarke. I'm being serious. I think we need to try and contact the leaders of the grounders. Form some type of truce. With winter approaching and a possible war on our hands we are looking at zero chance of survival."

"I'll talk to Bellamy about it but I don't think we can trust the grounders. They've killed most of our people, why would they want to negotiate now?"

"You can't trust the grounders but you trust Bellamy with your life?"

"Are you implying something?"

"Yes. You're being stupid Clarke. Wells died because we_ trusted_ Bellamy to lead a group of criminals down a path of righteous civilization."

Clarke narrowed her eyes, the name of her deceased best friend burning the edges of her soul. He had no right to bring Wells into this mess. Wells was her best friend and her last friend. She had put so much trust into him and had spent a good part of her life hating him because he was protecting her. Unlike Finn, Wells had actually put his life on the line to protect the one he loved. In that aspect he was a lot like Bellamy and with that thought the confusion was finally starting to clear up.

"I trust him."

"Clarke."

Right on cue Raven popped her head into the tent, water in hand. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the lingering silence. No words were spoken as the girls traded places but an odd weight had been lifted off Clarke's shoulders.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally showcased some of the other povs. I know I do a lot of timeskipping but I'm really just trying to get it to a certain point in the plan where things are going to flow nice and smooth, hence the importance of everyone else. **

**Happy Mother's Day everyone!**

* * *

The unwelcome night sky showed its face sooner than anyone would have liked. The high energy camp settled down with the sun, leaving behind the warm glow of the campfire and the soft murmur of exhausted voices. Most of the exiled survivors had called it a night, making good use of the extra tents Clarke and Bellamy had found on their expedition.

Clarke had been attempting to rest in her own tent, away from the social circles of camp. It was an unusually quiet night. A friendly chill in the air lingered against her skin, strangely keeping her mind stuck in the present. Her eyes fluttered open to examine the emptiness that had surrounded her. It was an odd thing, being alone. For months she had found herself with nothing but the company of the universe. Her life of solitary confinement had pulled her into a state of self-awareness, a state where she could accept her fate. Until she had stepped foot on earth, the certainty of death had been the one thing keeping her together. Most of her fellow criminals had filled the fear of uncertainty with the greatness that was human interaction or companionship. Yet on the cold autumn night she found herself facing a solitary life once more, accept this time she could not count the days until she would be reunited with her father.

Clarke exhaled quickly and sat up. Sleep was not her friend tonight, not that it ever had been. She pushed aside her blankets and scrambled out of her tent, embracing the familiarity of the dark night sky.

It was never her intention to visit the unmarked graves of the deceased but she had found herself there anyway. The soft glow of a blooming bunch of luminescent flowers danced across the graves, highlighting the peace and certainty that could be found in death.

"I should've come sooner." Her words came out hushed as she took a seat next to the fourth grave that had been dug. "I'm sorry Wells, I'm so sorry." The wind rustled the trees above as if the earth had been trying to communicate with her. "I should have listened to you. I should have been a better friend." She cradled her face in her hands.

The idea of talking to the dead bodies of the deceased had never made sense to Clarke. Back on the ark, the dead were floated. There were no final words with the body, no humane send off. It made sense really, once dead the body was a mere carcass of useless atoms. She knew those that gathered around the Eldan tree had often sought comfort in the idea that the soul of the person lost was always looking out for them but until she had actually tasted Earth, that was simply crazy talk.

"What am I doing? This is ridiculous." She removed her hands from her face; her body as still as the tree trunks in the wind.

"Yeah, but it's comforting to think that when I'm buried here you'll still come by and annoy me with your righteous regrets."

Clarke's eyes quickly darted around the darkness. She didn't need to see the face to know who was speaking to her. The voice had grown all too comforting within the past few days.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Her eyes connected with Bellamy's, the flush of heat associated with embarrassment filling her cheeks.

"Having a conversation, what does it look like I'm doing?" He was perched against a tree, his shirt clearly missing. That seemed to be a habit of his.

"You should be entertaining the women in your tent, not spying on me."

"If you were in my tent, I could be doing both."

A brief silence settled between them, a memorial for the night of vulnerability that had brought them closer. The memory came with mixed feelings.

"What do you want from me?"

"I need you to stay alive and keep my sister safe."

"You seem to be doing a pretty good job of that."

"When she finds out I'm gone, she's probably going to shut everyone out. You have to make sure she doesn't come after me. She's too innocent to make it on her own."

"What the hell are you talking about Bellamy?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow evening. I'll spend a few nights in the bunker before I-"

"Wait, you're leaving? You can't leave."

"If I don't leave now, I won't be able to make it to safety before the ark comes down. I can't let Octavia witness my execution."

"You're not leaving." She stood up gracefully, ignoring the fact that her pants had been covered in dirt. Her hands found their way to her hips and with the most serious mom expression she could muster up, she stared deep into the soul of Bellamy Blake.

"Yes, I am. It's for the best."

"Liar. You're just a coward too afraid to face your fears."

"You must be looking into a mirror."

Clarke narrowed her eyes, unamused with his retort. Bellamy could compare them all he liked but that wasn't going to persuade her to let him go. A night ago, he had promised her that he wasn't going to abandon her. A night of vulnerability filled with lies, if she hadn't been so upset she might have actually felt hurt by the entire situation.

"We're going to talk to Jaha, tonight. If he doesn't pardon you, you can leave tomorrow night." Bellamy cocked his head to the side, weighing the true intentions of Clarke. He didn't think she'd let him leave that easy.

"Alright. Let's go then."

They took a few steps away from the unmarked graves, their shoulders brushing as they re-entered the boundaries of camp. The walk to the communication tent was short and quiet. The fate of their partnership had depended on the outcome of this conversation, a few days ago that would have been a more pleasant thought.

"Wait," Clarke placed her hand on Bellamy's chest, stopping him from entering. His skin was cool to the touch. Her words lingered on her lips, her thoughts taken back by the steady heartbeat pulsing through her fingers. "If you don't get pardoned, I'm leaving with you."

* * *

"What took you so long? He's waiting for me, us." Octavia grabbed the sleeve of Finn's jacket and pulled him to the border of camp. The fire in the middle was the only source of noise as the rest of the camp had retired for the night, or at least hidden away.

"Oh, I'm sorry your boyfriend stabbed me in the chest making it hard to move. How rude of me to keep him waiting." Finn shot Octavia a look but the innocent girl ignored it.

It had only been a day since she had helped Lincoln escape but she couldn't get him off her mind. Finn had disclosed the information that Lincoln had shared with him and through a strange coincidence, Octavia had actually spotted Lincoln when she was out getting water with others from the camp. They had arranged a meeting and through all the excitement, Finn had somehow gotten dragged into the mess for the sake of negotiating a treaty of sorts. If Clarke wasn't going to listen to him, he would simply have to take action himself.

"Why couldn't we meet him during the day?"

"You know why. The risk of getting caught is not one we can take right now. Keep up."

The rest of the journey was traveled in silence. Finn considered all of the danger that they were putting themselves in. Octavia dreamt of the moment she would get to taste Lincoln's lips against hers once more. It had been an intoxicating moment. She was a hopeless romantic, but no one could truly blame the girl who had spent the majority of her life hiding under the floor. Over the course of her earth adventures she had developed feelings for three men. One was deceased, one was a native to the treacherous earth, and the last had been the one boy that her brother actually approved of.

"Here, he said torches would mark the spot."

"Because this doesn't seem like a trap at all. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

Octavia led them into the alcove, her eyes desperately searching for the man who had saved her life.

* * *

Jasper paced the second level of the drop ship in a heartbroken haze of confusion. Monty was tinkering with the bracelets again, pulling them apart for their chips but with every step that Jasper had taken Monty's line of thought would only be interrupted.

"Alright bro, what's wrong?" Monty placed his work on the makeshift table and turned to face his frantic friend. The drop ship was empty now that the storm had passed. The new tents had given the remaining survivors more than enough space outside which allowed Monty to focus on the more technical aspects of survival.

"Do you think she likes me? I mean like really likes me?"

"Who? Octavia?"

"Yes, the most beautiful girl in camp."

"Well, she kissed you and you risked your life to save her. Twice technically. So yeah."

Jasper stopped in his tracks, his mind clearly rattled. "That's exactly what I was thinking but then I just saw her walk into the forest holding Finn's hand. I mean, what is with that guy?"

With such perfect timing, Raven came crawling through the hatch; her interest clearly peaked by the mention of her boyfriend. The sight of her drew the attention of both Jasper and Monty. While silence would have been a more welcome conversation, Raven was in the mood to talk.

"I was going to ask if you guys knew where Finn was but I guess I got my answer." She took a seat next to Monty, her hands reached out to grab the container that held his moonshine.

The tension in the air thickened, the silence filling every inch of space. Monty and Jasper exchanged a brief moment of eye contact, a moment that had said everything they could not.

"It's hot in here, I need some air." With that, Jasper was gone, leaving Monty and Raven alone to fill the building silence between them.

* * *

"Engineering student?" Raven took another swig of the god awful moonshine, her eyes stealing a glance at Monty.

The two of them hadn't spoken much. Besides configuring a way to communicate with the ark, there was no reason to have a conversation. Raven was too caught up with keeping Finn safe, and Monty was too busy finding ways to liven up camp.

"I guess you could say that."

"Where'd you learn how to make moonshine?"

"Books and experimentation really. It's not as difficult as it looks. Jasper and I have-"

"What's so damn special about Clarke? Since the day I got here, it's like Finn doesn't even want to be a part of our relationship any more. He's too busy trying to get Clarke back." Raven shoved the container of moonshine into Monty's hands, her comments lingering in the air around them.

"I really, this is just, shouldn't you be discussing this with another female?" Monty put the moonshine back where he had it and scooted away from Raven. The conversation was not one he had ever thought would be taking place, especially not with Raven. She was a volatile one, not a talk about emotions type of girl.

Jasper and Monty weren't exactly the sweet-talkers that Finn and Bellamy had been. Put into perspective it really explained a lot and the conversation grew to be even more awkward.

"No. Look. If your girlfriend risked her life to come to Earth just so she could be with you, would you push her aside so you could figure out your feelings for some dumb chick you met ten days ago?" Raven had placed her hand on Monty's wrist pleading for some enlightenment on her current predicament. It was a rare side of Raven, one Monty had only assumed that Finn saw.

"I don't have a girlfriend and girls aren't really lining up to date me, so no, probably not."

The silence between them settled once more as the truth came out. It wasn't unwelcome, but it wasn't quite comfortable either. After what had felt like a month, a small gasp escaped Raven's lips clearly dismissing his response.

"I know what I have to do. Thanks moonshine boy, you've been really helpful." Her face lit up with a devious amount of excitement. After a quick squeeze of his wrist and a peck on the cheek, Raven exited the drop ship, leaving Monty to his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I wanted to have this up sooner but finals got the best of me. Sorry all. **

**Also, your reviews always make me smile so thank you very much. **

* * *

"I know how disappointed you must be and I'm really sorry. I was looking forward to going on a honeymoon with you, princess."

Laughter blossomed with relief and filled the silent tent. Clarke pulled off her headset, her eyes sparkling with tears. She was not prepared to lead a camp of criminals on her own but she had been even less prepared to adventure out into the wilderness with Bellamy. Jaha had pardoned Bellamy for his crimes, the first step of forgiveness that Bellamy clearly needed for his own sanity. As the communication screen faded into a darkness that matched the universe, Bellamy's eyes connected with Clarke. It had been the first time he had seen her laugh and it was an absolutely gorgeous sight, contagious even. For just a moment, they laughed in unison, sharing the sweetness of the night.

"A simple thank you would have sufficed." Clarke wiped away a tear of happiness. Exhaustion had finally set in but the smile lingered on her face. Even with all of the stress that had continuously been piling up, the moon still found a way to bring joy on such an unusual night.

"You're right Clarke," Bellamy brushed the back of his fingers against Clarke's hand, the emotion of the moment being shared through such a simple touch. "You're welcome."

Once more Clarke burst into a small fit of giggles. She punched his arm, causing no real damage. He may have been a foolishly arrogant man but at times he knew exactly what to say.

"It's getting late, I need sleep."

"Yeah, you look a mess."

Together they stood and exited the tent. Outside, things had been expectedly calm. The moon was at its peak, the cold wind rustled the trees, and the soft sound of late night murmurs had finally subsided. The two leaders parted ways with a smile and a wave because for once it had felt like things were going to be ok.

* * *

Bellamy walked to his tent at an unusually nonchalant pace. The cold chill of the night reminded him that he had been without a shirt but the warmth radiating from his chest was no match for the temperature. Words would never be enough to describe the relief he had suddenly felt. He would never forget the feeling of shooting a man or the 300 innocent lives sacrificed. He would never forget Charlotte but the acceptance of his fate after death was slightly easier to accept knowing that Jaha was able to pardon him for his crimes.

He lingered by the flap of his tent, his attention roamed until his eyes were upon Clarke's tent. The moonlight bounced off her blonde hair before she completely disappeared from his sight. She was such a strange woman.

"Hey shooter, it's about time you showed up."

Bellamy had taken two steps inside of the tent, his feet stuck in their tracks. His eyes could've easily fooled him on the sight of the apparition that was before him but the voice, it was unmistakable. The warmth in his chest from earlier disappeared like the civilization on Earth, agitation wasted no time filling the newly vacant emotional opening. Bellamy crossed his arms and allowed a sharp exhale to leave his body before acknowledging the woman before him.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Raven moved the blanket away from her body, exposing a rather desirable frame to Bellamy. Her undergarments had remained in place but her intentions were fairly clear. "I'm looking for some fun and I heard you were the man I needed to see."

"Spacewalker not doing it for you?"

"I didn't say that."

"It's implied."

"Does it matter? You have the hottest woman on earth in your bed and you want to discuss Finn?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize the most attractive woman was in my bed right now? Where is she, are you laying on her?"

A devious smirk broke his unamused expression. Bellamy never considered sleeping with Raven. She was tied to Finn and it was evident that Finn was possessive over his girls, even those he threw to the side. Spacewalker was a magnet for drama. It was entertaining really, to think that in the midst of a possible war with the grounders girls were still fighting over the attention of a man. Despicable.

"Bastard." Raven sat up, her fingers motioning for Bellamy to move closer. "Get over here, I want to taste the lips of a murderer."

"Put your clothes on Raven."

"You're kidding."

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

The tent fell silent, mimicking the late evening outside of this unwarranted drama. Bellamy tapped his foot impatiently but Raven made no effort to put her clothes on. She was stubborn which meant this conversation was not going to be dismissed so easily.

"Look, everything aside, I find your smug face as passably attractive and I really need to let off some steam."

"Clothes." His eyes fell to the pile on the ground, the realization of the situation finally hitting him. Bellamy Blake was not a man to turn down a beautiful girl. He lived to please and protect those he cared about. If women wanted a night of fun he was going to give them just that. One night of cuddling with Clarke and he found himself turning a blind eye at the advances from these desperate women. His heart told him the situation was illogical but his brain told him he had better things to stress about. If he slept with Raven he would find himself in the middle of this teenage love fest, the same one that had broken Clarke's heart. Bellamy took a good look at Raven's face in an effort to search for that pain he saw in the eyes of Clarke that was caused by the mere mention of Finn. Alas, no such thing was visible. Raven hadn't been throwing herself at Bellamy because she needed to forget the mistake of a man that was her boyfriend, she was here to make a mistake of her own.

"You don't understand. This could benefit us both. I could make things even with Finn and you could let off the stress of having to deal with the constant nagging of Clarke." Raven smiled, feeling confident in her own reasoning. She may have been intelligent but human connection was not her strong point.

"She doesn't nag, she worries."

"Seriously?" Raven exhaled in exasperation, it was clear she didn't think it would be so difficult to get Bellamy in bed with her.

Bellamy nodded his head in response to Raven, not quite aware of what his words had implied. He owed Clarke his life, without her his plan to run away would have still been on the agenda. As frustrating as she may have been, he was starting to admire her. They were thrown on a planet completely unaware if it was suitable for human life and she stepped up to the plate. He pushed her buttons and she returned the favor. When he had lost all hope, Clarke was the one to yank him back into reality. She was the most maddening woman he had ever met but earth wouldn't be the same without her.

"Put your clothes on and get back to Finn before he winds up in bed with someone else." He nudged his head toward the flap of the tent, putting an end to this uncalled for effort of seduction.

Raven didn't react. The gears in her head were ticking away but the words never came out of her mouth. The tent fell into a pit of silence once more. Raven bit down on her bottom lip and made an effort to stand. She reached a displeased hand down to grab her shirt; her fingers lingered on the hem.

"Hey Bellamy, are you asleep?" A new voice bounced through the slit of the tent opening. Raven and Bellamy exchanged a look but there were no time for words.

A familiar blonde head of hair popped through the tent opening. Clarke's eyes went from Bellamy to Raven before disgust filled her face.

"Raven?" The name fell from her lips with complete disbelief before her face disappeared from sight, leaving the two alone once more.

* * *

Clarke found herself meandering toward the gate of camp. She couldn't sleep; she couldn't run away, she was imprisoned in a camp of terrors. She placed a hand on the edge of the gate, taking the moment to gather her thoughts. Seeing Bellamy with another female had not been shocking. No, it was Raven that came as the surprise. She was so possessive over Finn but she was willing to cheat on him. That didn't make any sense, not to Clarke. How could a woman travel through space just to cheat on her boyfriend? The thought instantly sent Clarke's stomach into a series of flips.

"Clarke wait, it's not what you think."

"Go away Bellamy, I really don't want to talk about it."

She hadn't expected him to follow her. It didn't seem like a trait of his after all. The touch of his gentle hand laid upon her shoulder made her heartbeat increase. It was clear, she wasn't one for confrontations. She had avoided discussing matters with Finn and she avoided confronting her mother about the murder of her father. Clarke was a woman of words not actions but there she was, being forced to listen to the explanation of a man she had actually believed could have been her friend.

"That's your issue Clarke, you don't want to talk about anything."

Clarke pushed away the hand that was on her shoulder and turned to face Bellamy. Her eyes seethed with emotion but she kept her words down. There was no need to wake the rest of the camp.

"You're one to talk."

"I confronted Jaha about my problems, more than you can say about your mom."

"You only confronted him because I made you. I didn't want you to leave camp and this is how you celebrate? You sleep with Raven? Seriously?"

"Are you jealous Clarke?"

"No! I'm not jealous, I'm disappointed, I knew you were sleazy but I didn't think you would slink this low."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because she has a boyfriend!"

"Finn, the guy you slept with."

"Don't you dare." Clarke brought her hands to her hips. She would not stand to be compared to him, a home-wrecking sleaze who only cared about his own relationships. "We are not-"

"Similar? Yeah, you're right because I didn't sleep with her."

"If you didn't sleep with her then why was she practically naked in your tent?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No. You don't." Defeated, Clarke made an effort to move away from Bellamy back toward the center of camp.

Her thoughts had been a buzz, it was clear that sleep wouldn't be an option on this horrendous night. As she took a step past Bellamy, she could feel a light pressure on her wrist. She didn't need the sense of sight to tell her he had grabbed her arm. After all that had happened, his touch sent her heart racing toward a fit of disappointment.

"Believe what you want, but I'm telling you the truth. Nothing happened between Raven and I. She came into my tent as a broken woman looking for a reason to forget the fact that her boyfriend is in love with you." The conversation between them became increasingly quiet. Bellamy released the grip on Clarke's wrist but she didn't move. "That night in the bunker, I made a promise to you. A promise I'm going to keep."

"Raven might've been trying to escape her own problems but Finn doesn't love me." Her eyes fluttered toward Bellamy's face, the hurt still too real. Bellamy dismissing a half-naked woman in his tent was unlikely. He may have had a convincing story, but what would he lose by sleeping with Raven? None of it made sense to Clarke.

"I know a man in love when I see one." His eyes connected with hers. The tension between them paralleled the night in the bunker except this time they wouldn't be falling asleep next to one another.

"A man who has never been in love can't possibly know what love is."

"Who says I've never been in love?"

"Finn doesn't love me, Bellamy."

The words drifted through the air, their gaze unbreakable. This was a debate that could go on for days. Clarke was stubborn and in denial, she would never accept the fact that someone could possibly have feelings for her. Not after all she had witnessed. Feelings, romance, it was all a luxury they could not afford.

No more words followed their conversation only a chain of silent glances. The wind whistled between them, reminding them that this petty drama was nothing more than a star in a galaxy filled with billions of other stars. By the next day this issue would have to be forgiven if they cared to survive. Bellamy opened his mouth but the words that reached Clarke's ears were not in the voice of Bellamy, it had been Finn who was speaking.

"No Princess, for once I have to agree with Blake. I do love you."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the slow update! This is only half the chapter that I wanted to post up but I figured I could just split it into two. Also, I hit 100 followers! This is a very special moment due to the name of the show. 3 Love it, thank you. **

* * *

"Are you kidding me right now? You _love_ her? You don't even know her Finn!" Raven barreled toward the group from the direction of the tents.

Up until Finn's announcement her presence had gone unnoticed. She lurked around camp, listening in on the conversation between Bellamy and Clarke. Raven wasn't the snooping type but ever since Clarke had indulged herself on Finn, she had felt the need to keep an eye on the home-wrecking harlot.

"Raven." Finn spoke her name as if he had suddenly realized his mistake but no other words followed. Within that moment, Finn had made his choice.

Clarke felt her cheeks burn with a bundle of emotion but her mouth was paralyzed. Minutes ago she was cursing away any resemblance of romance. It was easier to pretend nothing existed than to actually face her problems. Yet there she was, standing in a mess that she had unknowingly played a vital role in. It would've been nice to yell at everyone and run for the safety of her tiny tent but that wasn't Clarke, not at all. Her eyes went from Finn to Raven, her emotions going from anger to pity.

"You can't even say it. You're an asshole Finn. Clarke's too good for you. _I'm_ too good for you." Raven had stopped a few feet away from him. Her eyes burned with a passion unseen before. It was hard to distinguish what was going through her head but her words had actually come as a shock to Clarke.

Since the day Raven had landed the girls avoided each other. There had been an elephant between them but neither of them cared to talk about it. Clarke had assumed that Raven hated her but her statement had made everything clear. If the situation had been any different, relief may have flooded her.

"Raven, I'm sorry. Can we talk about this in private?" Finn's eyes darted toward Clarke and the Blake siblings. He may have not wanted a confrontation but he brought it upon himself.

* * *

Bellamy tuned out all the romantic drama as soon as he saw Octavia sneaking into the gate. His eyes narrowed, his attention leaving Clarke.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He hissed the words like snake's venom.

"To bed; I'm exhausted. Good night Bell." Octavia didn't glance over at her brother. She knew what would be greeting her if she made eye contact with him.

Bellamy caught his sister by the arm, pulling her back to face him. Worry seeped through his pores instead of rage. His eyes followed the natural structure of her face, searching for any new wounds. He had loved his sister to death but if she was sneaking out to go prance around the forest with Finn, he wouldn't have it. Finn was already stuck in the middle of two girls; Octavia Blake did not need to be added to that list.

"O, what were you doing beyond the gate this late?" His words came out like that of a concerned father.

"None of your business." She jerked her arm away, channeling the anger she felt about the torturing of the grounder. It had been a few days since that wretched event had taken place but Octavia was stubborn. After spending years under the floorboards dwelling on memories, it was hard for her to forget such traumatic things.

"Octavia, you're not allowed outside of these walls at night. We just saved you from the grounders, we don't need you getting taken again."

"I'm not a child Bellamy, I can take care of myself."

* * *

"No! We can't talk about this in private. If you wanted private you shouldn't have confessed your love to Clarke in front of your damn girlfriend."

"Raven," Clarke had interjected, hoping to calm the girl before anything drastic was done. It was actually surprising that the rest of the camp hadn't woken up. Their voices bounced off the trees, the argument becoming anything but private.

"Shut up Clarke."

"Raven, leave her out of this. You're upset with me and I get it. I should've talked to you before but I didn't know how. I was confused, I still am." Finn took a step toward Clarke, his eyes following the direction of his feet.

"But I know that my feelings for you are real. I didn't sleep with you because it was convenient, there was something more to it." He directed his words toward Clarke.

Clarke remained silent and bewildered. She took a few steps back, uncomfortable with the sudden distance now separating her and Finn. He was close enough to touch her and that didn't feel right, not with Raven right there. Not with what she was struggling to come to terms with. She didn't want anything to do with Finn, she told her heart to stop caring about him. She refused to let a man be her weakness. There were greater things to worry about.

"Clarke," Finn's voice pierced her ears but her eyes were glued to Raven.

Going unnoticed once more, Raven had closed the distance between them. She was practically in front of them, her eyes ready to strike.

"Finn!" Raven shrieked the name and brought a knife wielding hand up toward him. She was threatening his life but he made no effort to stop her.

"What are you going to do Raven, cut my throat? We both know you can't." He came off as mocking which tugged on Clarke's gut.

She didn't think it was wise to bait a scorned woman holding a knife. Raven closed the gap between Finn, her fingers kept the knife hovering above the base of Finn's neck. Tears had flooded her eyes and streaked the dirt that was caked on her face. Her hand quivered with a hundred different emotions but only anger shined through the layer of tears in her eyes.

"Why would you do this to me? I thought you loved me."

"I do love you. You're always going to be my little bird," With one arm, Finn pushed away her knife wielding hand and with the other he wiped away the tears from her face. "But I'm afraid I'm no longer in love with you. I'm sorry Raven."

There was no more yelling. The wind rustled the trees and the entire explosion of a situation had finally taken a moment to breathe. Raven mumbled inaudible words but Clarke remained focused on the knife. It felt odd being in the middle of a conversation between a couple, and it felt even more unusual not being able to slink away and pretend that she had never witnessed the argument. Raven dropped her head, but the arm holding the knife remained tense.

The next few moments had happened quickly. One moment, Clarke was standing as a third party witness to an argument, the next she was pushing Finn out of the way of a swinging knife. The blade grazed her butt; it tore her pants but only left a scratch on her skin. Finn stumbled back a few steps, completely in shock by the fact that Raven had actually attempted to stab him. At the sound of the commotion, Bellamy had turned just in time to restrain Raven. He wrestled the knife from her fingers, throwing it to the ground with only a few minor scrapes of his own.

"What the hell Raven! We just stitched him up!" Clarke remained in front of Finn, a defensive stance of sorts. It hadn't been her intention to take sides, but she wasn't going to let him get stabbed. She needed him whether she wanted to admit that or not.

"You're actually going to defend him even after he used you?" Raven hissed the words, her limbs struggling against the arms of Bellamy who was desperately trying to move her away from the situation.

"No one else needs to die, especially not over something as stupid as this. We're on the verge of war with the grounders and you want to kill him because he broke your heart? Raven, come on." Clarke was practically pleading with Raven. The drama was exhausting and they would get more than enough of it when the ark came down.

"Ten days Clarke. He couldn't wait ten days before sleeping with another girl. I have every right to want to kill him."

"You slept with Bellamy! You're no better than Finn."

Once more silence settled over the bunch, leaving only the earth and their breathing. Raven's eyes glued themselves to Finn, searching for any reaction. Bellamy's eyes fell to the ground, avoiding the argument that had started all of this. Clarke's attention remained on Raven. While Octavia stood idle, watching the situation unfold.

"I-I didn't sleep with him. I considered it and if Bellamy wasn't an idiot we would have." Raven's voice cracked the silence, all eyes scattering.

That was the moment relief flooded over Clarke's body. It was an odd moment, after everything that had happened. She forced away a joyous smile but turned her attention toward Bellamy. She owed him an apology, but it would have to come at a later time.

"You tried to sleep with Bellamy? Seriously, of all people?" Finn took a step around Clarke, ready to face the situation head on. He didn't make an effort to close the distance between himself and Raven which was wise.

"You slept with one leader so I figured I'd sleep with the other. Seeing how you can't stand him. It doesn't matter though, it never happened. Only one of us here is a cheater."

"You're worse than I am. I cheated on you when I thought I was never going to see you again. You tried to sleep with him while I was outside of the gates. You knew you were going to see me again. You're disgusting." Finn's brows furrowed with distaste.

The anger boiled underneath Raven's skin once more. Her body ached to lunge and rip the throat from Finn but Bellamy held her back and this time he was the one to speak up.

"For god's sake, shut the hell up Spacewalker. You didn't tell Clarke about Raven when you decided to take her heart. The second your girlfriend came down to earth you acted like Clarke was nothing. If anyone is disgusting it is you."

"Bellamy!" Clarke tried to silence him before the conversation got worse. It was admirable to see him stick up for both of them but it wasn't his place to speak in defense of her heart.

"At least I haven't murdered over three hundred people."

"I only did what was needed to be done to keep everyone here alive."

"You've done nothing but advocate the belief that breaking rules and being a criminal is acceptable in society. You're turning these kids into monsters."

"You're one to talk." Bellamy gritted his teeth.

Before another word could be spoken, Clarke pushed Finn back behind her.. She was sick and tired of the fighting, there needed to be end to it all.

"Both of you need to shut up. Speaking of the camp, most of them are trying to sleep which is what we should be doing. The grounders aren't going to give us a break tomorrow because we've had a long night. Everyone needs to go to their tents and-," her words were cut off by the distinct sound of a horn. It echoed through the trees, causing a few agitated faces to peak out of their tents.

"What was that?" Raven looked to the sky for an answer.

"Acid Fog." Bellamy, Finn, and Clarke replied in unison.

* * *

**Hi again! Just wanted to make a comment on the craziness. Hopefully the switching of PoVs didn't lose you. Thought it would be important to had emphasis to everyone in the group. Jonty will be coming up in the next chapter! Thanks for all the lovely reviews all. I'm still reading them and they are still making my night. **


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